This epic trilogy began with the film Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), which was released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox.

The film became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning five more feature films developed by George Lucas and an Expanded Universe of his films, which includes three spin-off films, five television series and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, action figures, trading cards, card games, backpacks, Lego sets and other products, all of which are set within a fictional "galaxy far, far away."

In 2005, Forbes Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise (over the course of its history) at nearly US $20 billion, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time.

The events of Star Wars take place in the fictional Star Wars galaxy. Each Star Wars film begins with an "opening crawl" of text that provides specific context for the events of the film.

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." is the line that appears first in the opening crawl for each film and alludes to the classic fairy tale opening of, "Once upon a time, in a faraway land..."

The opening crawl is the only instance that the Star Wars galaxy has been defined in relation to our real world.

Many of the characters in the film are essentially identical to humans. The characters commonly interact with fantastic creatures of many different types from numerous planetary systems within the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars uses supernatural elements such as magic, Jedi knights, witches, and princesses that are related to characters found in fairy tales and other epic stories.

The film series spans the events of two generations. The Star Wars "Expanded Universe" is comprised of stories that are set in the Star Wars universe that have not appeared in the original film series.

The "Expanded Universe" covers events that span millennia. Novels from a series called New Jedi Order later extended the Star Wars setting to different galaxies with the introduction of alien beings named Yuuzhan Vong.

Most aliens prior to the New Jedi Order series came from the same galaxy in which the films are set.

The Star Wars world, unlike the traditional science-fiction and fantasy films that featured sleek and futuristic settings, was initially portrayed as dirty and grimy. It is notable that the setting does not portray technological evolution, despite stories that span millenia, the technology is relatively the same throughout.

In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing new props with dirt to give them a weather-worn appearance. He has referred to this as "a used or ancient future", a concept further popularized in the film Alien.

Earlier films by director Sergio Leone utilized a similar process for films of the Western genre. Director Akira Kurosawa had previously used this method to give his settings a more authentic appearance.

The Story of Star Wars Saga:

Episodes I, II, and III chronicle the downfall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire. It is also the story of Anakin Skywalker, the "Chosen One", rising as a gifted young Jedi and eventually transforming into Darth Vader via the Dark Side of the Force.

The story begins as Darth Sidious manipulates the Trade Federation into invading and occupying the planet Naboo. Sidious concurrently maintains his public identity as Palpatine, who represents the world of Naboo as a Senator in the Galactic Republic. Palpatine uses the crisis to convince the Senate to elect him as Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

 He further manipulates the Senate into granting him emergency powers and orchestrates the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Republic (which he controls as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine) and a Separatist movement (which he controls as Darth Sidious).

A young boy named Anakin Skywalker, incredibly strong with the Force, is discovered by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the Chosen One, prophesied to bring balance to the Force.

After Qui-Gon is killed by Darth Maul, Obi-Wan defeats the Sith apprentice and then, over the strong objections of Master Yoda, obeys his master's final wish to train the boy. Anakin grows powerful with the Force, and his skill causes him to become arrogant and chafe against Obi-Wan's training, which he feels is restrictive. Against the strictest rules of the Jedi Order, Anakin falls in love with Padmé Amidala, first Queen and later Senator of Naboo.

The two wed in secret, an act forbidden for Jedi due to the inherent emotional vulnerability.

The Clone Wars begin to rage through every part of the known galaxy, and the Jedi fight tirelessly to bring peace back to the Republic.

Anakin and Padmé continue to keep their marriage a secret, but soon Padmé becomes pregnant. Although thrilled by the news, Anakin begins to have visions of Padmé's death.

The secretive nature of their relationship forces him to seek help outside of the Jedi order, and he desperately asks aid of Chancellor Palpatine, now as dangerously powerful in public as well as in secret.

Palpatine, as Darth Sidious, seizes this opportunity to tempt Anakin to the Dark Side, promising that Padmé can be saved if Anakin joins the Sith.

His guile succeeds, convincing Anakin to abandon the Jedi. Anakin's turning point comes when he intervenes in a lightsaber duel between Jedi Master Mace Windu and Palpatine, cutting off Mace Windu's hand before Palpatine kills the Jedi Master. Palpatine declares Anakin a Sith Lord and gives him the name Darth Vader, then orders him to hunt down and destroy all the remaining Jedi in the galaxy (see Order 66 for more on the demise of the Jedi).

Anakin starts learning the Dark Side of the Force from Palpatine, and starts a duel with his own master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin loses the duel and becomes terribly disfigured.

He wears a black armor and mask and came to be known as Darth Vader. Tragically, Anakin is still unable to save Padmé, and becomes directly responsible for causing her death.

Padmé dies giving birth to twins, whom she names Luke and Leia. The twins are given to two separate willing parties for safety: Luke to Anakin's step-brother Owen Lars and his wife Beru on Tatooine; Leia to Senator Bail Organa and his wife on the planet Alderaan.

Obi Wan-Kenobi and Yoda, the last remaining Jedi, exile themselves. Obi-Wan becomes a hermit on Tatooine, where he assumes the responsibility of watching over Luke from afar. Yoda similarly becomes a hermit on the bog-like world of Dagobah. Sidious (as Palpatine) reorganizes the Galactic Republic into the First Galactic Empire, and declares himself its Emperor.

Episodes IV, V, and VI pick up approximately 19 years after the events of Episode III, during the Galactic Civil War, a lengthy conflict in which the Galactic Empire falls at the hands of the Rebel Alliance.

These films follow the story of Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker (now the black-clad Darth Vader), and his rise in the rebellion against the Empire. The tale ends with the redemption of Anakin Skywalker at Luke's hands, and the reconciliation of the galaxy by the ultimate destruction of the Sith and the Empire.

Leia, Princess and Imperial Senator for Alderaan, is a secret member of the Rebel Alliance. While she carries home the plans for the Empire's battle station, the Death Star, her ship is intercepted by Darth Vader. She sends a message for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi by means of R2-D2. Darth Vader takes Leia to the sinister Grand Moff Tarkin.

Luke inadvertently intercepts the message and meets Kenobi. Leia is forced to witness the destruction of her home-world by the dreaded Death Star. After the murder of his aunt and uncle by Imperial Stormtroopers looking for the droids, Luke joins the ragtag Rebel Alliance — traveling with Kenobi, his (then unrecognized) sister Leia Organa, smuggler Han Solo, Solo's Wookiee companion Chewbacca, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2. The Rebel Alliance eventually destroys the Death Star and Tarkin.

Prior to the destruction of the Death Star, Luke trains with Kenobi. After Kenobi's death at the hands of Vader, Luke finds the exiled Yoda to continue his Jedi training. Luke believes that his father was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader, having been told as much by Kenobi at their first meeting. When Luke learns the truth — that his father and Vader are one and the same — he is profoundly shaken. Despite this, Luke successfully resists the efforts of Vader and Palpatine to turn him to the Dark Side.

Instead, in a reunion aboard a new and improved Death Star, Luke succeeds in turning his father back to the Light Side of the Force. Vader throws Emperor Palpatine into the Death star's reactor to save his son from Palpatine's murderous rage, but is mortally wounded in the process.

In killing Palpatine and returning to the light, Anakin/Vader fulfills the Prophecy of the Force, proving that he was the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.

Meanwhile, Leia and Han, who were pursued by Vader in an effort to find and turn Luke, develop a romantic relationship, and Leia finally learns of her Jedi heritage just before their strike team disables the second Death Star's defenses. The Rebel fleet, led in part by Solo's friend Lando Calrissian, then scores a decisive victory against the Empire by destroying the second Death Star.

Postscript: The Rebel Alliance's victory eventually leads to the end of the Galactic Civil War and the downfall of the Empire, restoring the Galactic Republic as the New Republic.